On Thursday, the Democratic Party of Korea announced the selection of seven cases for a national investigation. These cases involve allegations of manipulation in the investigation and prosecution processes under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. The party plans to report their request for a national investigation to the National Assembly on March 12.
Following the second meeting held at the National Assembly, Representative Lee Joo-hee, a member of the National Investigation Promotion Committee, disclosed this decision. The committee aims to uncover the truth behind the Yoon administration’s allegedly manipulative prosecutions and seeks to have the charges dismissed.
The seven cases chosen for the national investigation include: the Daejang-dong development preferential treatment case, the Wirye New Town development corruption scandal, allegations of political fund misuse involving former Democratic Research Institute Vice President Kim Yong, the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case, alleged manipulation of real estate statistics during the Moon Jae-in administration, the West Sea incident where a South Korean official was shot, and the defamation case against former President Yoon regarding reports on the Busan Savings Bank investigation.
Lee Joo-hee explained that during the Yoon administration, there was significant pressure not only on former Democratic Party leader Lee Jae Myung and his associates but also on key figures from the Moon administration. She noted that they had identified three core incidents related to this issue for inclusion in the national investigation.
Lee emphasized that due to time constraints, they selected the seven most critical cases for the investigation.
The committee plans to submit the formal request for the national investigation on March 11 and aims to report it during the plenary session on March 12. All Democratic Party members are expected to sign the request.
Lee Geon-tae, the committee’s secretary, stated that once the request is submitted, they will push for swift approval, with the goal of launching the investigation by the end of April.
When questioned about potential cooperation from the People Power Party, Lee Geon-tae declined to comment, saying it was a matter of internal party strategy and not his place to discuss.
During the public meeting, committee chair Han Byung-do referenced recorded conversations from former Ssangbangwool Chairman Kim Sung-tae’s detention center visits. Han stated that these revelations have deeply shocked the society. The prosecutor’s actions have been both cowardly and cruel. He argued that the pressure to prosecute based on circumstantial evidence, exemplified by the alleged salmon drinking party in the investigation room, amounts to a clear case of human hunting.
Han added that the Democratic Party will no longer wait, asserting that it will vigorously pursue a national investigation to uncover the truth behind the allegedly manipulative prosecutions related to Daejang-dong, the Ssangbangwool North Korea remittance case, and the West Sea incident, aiming to present the findings on March 12.
Park Sung-jun, the committee’s vice-chairman, remarked that the transcripts from Chairman Kim’s detention center visits reveal transactions more dramatic than a movie. He emphasized that trials resulting from the abuse of prosecutorial power are inherently null and void.
The committee has scheduled a policy forum for March 9 at 10:30 a.m. (South Korean time) in the National Assembly building. The forum will focus on Prosecutorial Abuse of Discretion and Article 255 of the Criminal Procedure Act on Cancellation of Charges.